new this morning, another sad day in walnut creek as students head back to class after losing two of their own. good morning, i'm marla tellez. i'll tell you what this high school has planned following that deadly rafting accident over the weekend coming up. well, you think you know the basics of parking rules? how far do you have to move your car to stay legal? we'll tell you what you need to know to avoid getting a ticket. and prince fans, you have another chance to see the rock legend perform live here in week. a live look outside on this

chilly morning. it is tuesday, february 22nd. this is "today in the east bay." good morning, everyone. i'm scott mcgrew. it is 4:30. we'll check on the east bay forecast with christina loren. good morning, christina. good morning to you. you know, yesterday, pretty nice day. pretty cold day. that's what we are looking towards today. we could have showers this morning. the system has slid down to the south, so we are not worried about the rain showers, but we have very cold conditions in the east bay this morning. grab a jacket. we'll tell you just how warm it is expected to be this afternoon, a lot of sunshine. and more important, we'll talk about a system approaching our coast that could drop our snow levels down to 500 feet later in the week. we'll talk all about that, good morning to you in the east bay. we'll check the east bay commute where the rubber meets the road and mike inouye. good morning to you, mike. good morning to you, christina.

there's the system you are talking about. we'll take you to the traffic maps. here's a wider shot of the bay area. because the system is clearing through we don't have major issues on the roadway. things are moving smoothly approaching the bay. green all over the place. there's a return for some of the traffic. some schools have all week off like san jose unified and fremont may have another day, but the rest of the bay is returning back from the presidents' day weekend. the east shore freeway an 18-minute drive. a nice flow across the bridge. the san mateo is also showing a nice flow across the bridge. is man they man a they owe bridge is looking good. back to you. we are following several new developments this morning in the deaths of two walnut creek teenagers. you recall they lost their life during a dangerous adventure over the weekend. marla tellez is in the east bay at their high school. this will be the first day back with all the kids, right, marla? >> reporter: that's right, following the presidents' day

holiday yesterday, this will be the return to school this morning and they will be greeted by grief counselors here at las lomas high school. matthew miller and gavin powell were juniors at the high school. they were best friends. and this morning autopsy results confirm that the two drowned to death after trying to navigate the powerful flow of a rushing creek saturday. of course, with all the rain we have been having, although they were mourned by a parent not to, the two took the raft here to the creek saturday. the force of the water was too much to handle. they were found a mile apart from each other in concord on sunday. after the presidents' day holiday students will head back to class this morning with heavy hearts. >> i was kind of surprised because why would you go out in

the rain, and i know they are smarter than that. they are nice, they are intelligent, they get good grades, they both wanted to go to college. they had high expectationcies about themselves. >> reporter: if you would like to pay your respects, a candlelight vigil is scheduled for tomorrow night, wednesday night, from 6:00 to 8:00 at the south desk erland place. again, this morning as students head back to school here at las lomas high school, there will be grief counselors on hand here. marla tellez for "today in the bay." >> looking at the video of the river, it doesn't look like much, but it is extremely dangerous. >> reporter: that's right,

scott. as far as i understand, there are signs posted letting you know that it is not, of course, a good idea. you can't mess with the force of water and mother nature. >> as a a few of a teenager boy, i know the temptation. thank you very much. today parents, students and teachers in the mount diablo school district could know the future of their school. the school board is expected to vote on closures today. earlier this month trustees agreed to close green brooke and holbrooke schools. last week they weighed in on closing westwood elementary or silverwood elementary also in concord to save $1.5 million. tonight's meeting at 7:30 at monte gardens elementary also in concord. east oakland's proposed gang injunction will be in the spotlight again today. the public safety committee in the city will hold a hearing on the controversial plan. supporters and opponents expected to pack the room. opponents say the injunctions don't work. they would limit the activities of some 39 gang members in a

so-called safety zone covering two square miles in the fruitvale neighborhood in oakland. tonight's meeting is at 5:30 at city hall. volunteer defense attorneys argue those injunctions violate basic civil rights. a livermore fire station will reopen today. the station on airway boulevard was temporarily closed in july because of budget problems. the closure helped save $1.3 million. no new jobs are being added with the station reopening. instead, 16 firefighters who are already working elsewhere in livermore will staff the station. this morning 65 confirmed deaths in new zealand's earthquake. that figure is expected to rise. it was a 6.3 magnitude quake that was strong and shallow. that's the worst kind. as nbc's dan shennaman reports it is already one of new zealand's worst natural disasters. >> reporter: shortly after the

quake hit the scope of the damage was obvious. especially in the center of christchurch. the city's iconic cathedral was reduced to a pile of bricks. >> to actually see it topple in front of the cathedral, to see the dust and have people running out underneath the dust, there's no words to be quite honest. it was absolutely awful. >> reporter: the huge buildings collapsed in on themselves with walls falling into the streets. there were piles of brick and concrete everywhere. >> call out to us, please! >> reporter: rescue workers quickly fanned out to look for people trapped underneath the massive piles of rubble. to help the wounded rescuers sent up makeshift triages around the city. one woman was helped down by rescuers. one worker was inside the building when the quake hit and helped as many people as he could. >> is i was on the landing to the third floor and didn't really know what happened. then i heard some people screaming out which were on the third floor and i hang managed to pull them out. >> reporter: power and phones

are out across christchurch. they ordered people to evacuate the city's center. the prime minister said it could be the country's darkest day. dan shennaman, nbc news. meanwhile, people in the bay area with ties to new zealand are desperate for news. in berkeley todd sully hopes for good news about friend and family in christchurch. one niece sent a tweet saying she's okay. sully teaches karate and his friend have a studio in the city of christchurch. he hopes no afternoon classes were in session, but it could be days before he finds out how everybody is. >> it is going to take a while because they are digging through brick. >> reporter: sully is contacting agencies in new zealand to find the best way to help with donations. he was told the red cross is a good place to start. there's also a facebook page where people can post messages and begin connecting with missing loved ones. closer to home we'll talk about a very cold forecast.

christina joins us. good morning, christina. >> good morning, scott. are you cold this morning? >> i was on the way in. >> i don't believe it. i don't believe it for a second. he can withstand anything. we are looking pretty good this morning. it is a little chilly, especially in the north bay where we are at 33 degrees right now in santa rosa. if you are going to be headed from the east bay up to the north bay, give yourself extra time. take it easy out there. certainly cold enough for black ice over the bridges and overpasses in the north bay. and even in the east bay this morning where temperatures are at 36 degrees you will find frost on that windshield. we are dealing with patchy frost and fog this morning. most of the fog is towards the peninsula, if you are going to be headed to san mateo, san francisco, just watch out for reduced visibilities. probably until 9:00 a.m. and if you are leaving before 8:00 a.m., yeah, you need to get the frost off the windshield. later on today lots of sunshine, temperatures mostly in the 50s. rain on the way. and a lot of snowfall associated with this next system. snow levels are going to drop to about 500 feet.

we'll tell you what that means for the valley floor and everywhere else in the bay area. but right now you got to get to work. it is a short workweek for some people. how is it looking out there, mike? we are looking just fine for the commute this morning, christina. right now it is just after 4:30. we are looking at highway 4, no slowing yet. about 5:30 is when we expect it. a heavier volume than yesterday. lighter than typical because some folks are still out of town. we'll look over to highway 4 where you are showing temperatures near 36, 35, 34. close to the freezing level. we'll watch the smaller overpasses as well. they might have gotten an extra chill overnight with frosty conditions. the bridges, venetian and cartinas connecting the north bay to the east bay, if you are headed north you could get for frost through fairfield or wine country. south of there a nice drive down to the bay bridge. in fact, the rest of the freeways looking close to the limit as well because of the light early hour right now. we are watching the volume build here. a live look at oakland where things are moving smoothly on the freeway past the coliseum. prince played last night, the warriors play tonight. we have a smooth drive right now this morning, but we'll see more

folks at an 8:00 slowing for this section of 880. prince played last night, the warriors play tonight. a great game, wouldn't it be? many of us have to move our cars to avoid getting a parking ticket, but how far do you need to move to avoid being illegal? plus, postal rate changes. a rundown on the new prices and when they take effect. and there he is, prince adding a new show to his "welcome to america" tour in oakland. we'll tell you about the tickets and when he's performing. ♪ [ female announcer ] the counter. in most homes, it gets all the action. bring it. getting it clean again is easy with bounty. in this lab test,

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septic backups can cost about six thousand dollars in expense, and countless hours of repair. rid-x costs only six dollars, and the advanced natural bacteria generate powerful enzymes, which accelerate the waste digestion. use rid-x once a month, and help save yourself from disaster. 4:44. you are looking at a live picture of the oracle arena where the warriors will play tonight. they are playing the celtics. meanwhile, tomorrow night -- more prince. he put on a smashing show last night in oakland. he must have thought so, too. he's added a third show for the arena now. that's thursday night. also performing tomorrow night, wednesday. so warriors, then prince, then prince. we checked online, tickets for the wednesday show are still available. livermore city leaders approved a new shopping center

at interstate 580 and el charro road. they expect to bring in $2 billion a year in new sales tax revenue. that can go to help pay for police and new roads. the store will have 130 stores including a food court and outside walkways similar to santana road down in san jose. the city council first approved the plan four years ago bull changes held them back last week. council members approved the revised plan. after a long three-day weekend to recharge can wall street keep the whipping streak alive? we have nicole lapin live at cnbc headquarters for us this morning. >> reporter: good morning. the short answer to that is no. oil prices are spiking today as traders react to the unrest in the middle east. sweet crude, the main u.s. oil contract, is up $7 between yesterday and today. we are talking $93 a barrel. brent crude that trades over in

london and is more exposed to the middle east situation is above $107 a barrel. libya is africa's or one of africa's largest exporters with 1.5 million barrels per day. production has been cut as foreign companies are pulling workers out of the country. so far the impact has been limited. the united states has plenty of extra oil supplies on hand, but if crude prices remain at the current levels consumers worldwide will feel the pinch. also making headlines out of cnbc, facing a budget showdown with the white house and senate democrats. house republicans are scrambling to find some options to avoid a government shutdown. reports say gop leaders are drafting a new short-term bill to fund the federal government. on saturday the house passed a spending bill that includes $61 billion in spending cuts. so the new bill would have fewer cuts, it would just keep the government open, basically, for two extra weeks while lawmakers hold broader budget talks because congress is in recess

until next week. and the stopgap spending bill expires on march 4. they have to get their act together. markets are watching that as well. and the new consumer watchdog agency releases facts today showing credit card practices have become more consumer friendly. this is good news. the biggest card issuers eased up on interest rate hikes and late and over-the-limit fees in the wake of a bill passed by congress in 1999 to make card prices more transparent. the agency gets the authority to enforce the card act coming up this summer. that's great news for that neiman marcus opening right around the corner. >> that's coming into the mall, very good. nicole lapin, thank you very much. meanwhile, christina loren is joining us with the forecast. good morning, christina. >> good morning to you, scott mcgrew. a good forecast for shopping if you want to head down to the neiman marcus later today. we'll have a lot of sunshine. you won't have to protect your head and dodge the showers. today will be nice and dry.

but because we did have that little trough pass through yesterday it is very, very cold out there this morning. temperatures falling into the 20s in the north bay. here's what you can expect heading throughout the morning in the east bay. if you are waking up in livermore, 36 degrees. 36 in concord. 34 degrees in fairfield. a frosty start. temperatures later on today in the 50s. 55 degrees in concord. and 55 in livermore. now, your extended forecast is coming up. it will show you our next round of showers which will drop our snow levels, yes, 500 feet. that means dusting of snow. possibly on the valley floor. livermore, you are fair game for snow as we head into the early portion of saturday morning. we'll talk more about that and definitely the surrounding hills of livermore. that's on the way. we'll find out about the drive now. actually, i'm going to send it back to the man who can withstand any sort of weather element, scott mcgrew. that's because i'm from chicago. so the warriors are back in action tonight. we talked about this earlier, hoping to pick up before they left before the all-star break. golden state looking for the

fourth win in a row. they have to beat the celtics to do it. tipoff at 7:30 at oracle arena. you can see the game on comcast sports net, bay area as well. the first woman ever to throw in the major leagues, justine siegal, threw for batting practice for the cleveland indians yesterday. she is no stranger to breaking the gender barrier. she is the first woman to coach first base in men's professional baseball. this is when she coached in independence league in 2009. this morning we goat into depth with the tricky parking situation. chances are you have been on the receiving end of a parking ticket, but what if you followed all the posted signs, moved your car before the time was up and still got a ticket? well, it turns out the rules for parking are very different in each city and some say the confusion is by design. here's "today in the east bay's" vicky nguyen. >> reporter: the shiny light, tiny wheels, the unwelcomed envelope tucked under the wiper.

>> i pay almost $1,000 in tickets in berkeley. >> parking is a pain in the butt. >> they want you to pay and forget about it. >> reporter: but phillip donian couldn't forget. >> i set the cell phone alarm, moved my car 100 yards down from where i was. there's the ticket from the city of berkeley. >> reporter: it is not that he can't afford the $49 fine. this is what he drives. but he says it is the principle of the parking rules and the lack of posted signage to warn law-abiding driving how far is far enough when reparking. he wrote the city to appeal his ticket. even including a witness statement showing that he moved his car. >> i don't mind if the signage is appropriate then i can follow it. if i blow it it is my fault, but if the sign doesn't say move your car or move across an intersection or no reparking in a particular zone -- >> we tried contacting berkeley's spokeswoman to clarify. we asked how far drivers need to move to avoid a ticket, where the rules were posted and why they weren't on any of the signs.

she didn't answer any of our questions and told us no one could provide an interview. we have a question about parking. so we went to the front lines. how far do you have to move your car in berkeley for it to be considered a new spot? the best we could find, code from the city's website. such parking time limit should be applicable for the total time period parked within within one or more parking spaces between intersecting streets. what does that mean to you? >> i have no idea, i don't know. >> i'm a teacher, and this would be challenging, i think, for most people to determine what the meaning of it is. >> reporter: so what exactly are the rules? well, here in berkeley -- you have to move your car across an intersection for it to count as a new parking space. in oakland you have to cross an intersection or just move your car across the street. in san francisco moving your car across the street is not enough. here you have to move at least

1/10 a mile for it to count as a new parking space. like berkeley both oakland and san francisco don't post the specifics on their signs and only san francisco clearly spells out the rules on its websites, if you know where to find it. >> it would certainly help consumers if there was a consistent policy. >> it feels very much like a revenue-generating scam. >> reporter: last year san francisco collected $9 million in parking fines. oakland, $26 million. berkeley, $9 million. $49 of which were paid by phillip after all his effort he still lost his appeal. but not his shared pain with thousands of drivers who found one of these on their windshield. vicky nguyen, "today in the east bay." >> don't count on the chalk marks to warn you. some use electronic devices, not chalk to keep track of how long you have been there. we were tipped off to this story by a viewer. if there's something you would like us to look into, let us know. send an e-mail to

newstips@nbcbayarea.com. well, curious about the future of green transportation? two hydrogen buses will be on display in downtown livermore today both operating at the lawrence livermore national laboratory. the public is welcome to stop by and take a ride. scientists will be on hand to answer questions. there's a prrks rius at a parking lot next to the bank head theater on first street in downtown livermore at 11:00 as well. let's check in with what's going on later "today in the bay." we say good morning to brent cannon. >> i don't have the special tanks, i have the normal stuff. what does brian wilson have in common with charlie sheen? the answer has nothing to do with sheen's extra curricular activities or any of his off-screen problems. we'll tell you why the two met and what they are working on. and the countdown clock is ticking for the final launch of the space shuttle "discovery." that crew has a number of

challenges still to overcome. and we'll have a status report for you coming up in just a few minutes. that's as close to cryogenic i get. >> i don't know who started the joke about you being old. >> it is not a joke. >> we just dragged that thing out for years and years now. i think we are talking to mike. are yes talking to mike? >> good morning. however your car is fueled, we'll take you on to the roadways to see what we are dealing with right now. we are looking over to livermore and pleasanton. 580 is showing a nice smooth drive out of the altamonte pass. we'll see more slowing around 6:00 coming out of this area. but right now you are at the limit heading towards that dublin interchange and the new b.a.r.t. station at the dublin area as well. we are looking really good. it has been open since saturday. we are looking at 880 and 92 coming through hayward. a smooth flow of traffic there as well. all the freeway roadways are open. it is a nice, easy drive heading out of the east bay to the peninsula. there's quite a bit of fog, keep that in mind heading over to 280 and san mateo.

looking at the maze, the times and the approach to the toll plaza are close to the limit. the slowing starts later today because of the return from vacation for a lot of folks on the bay bridge toll plaza. it is show nothing major backups, an easy drive. also no puddles, dryer roads today. also very cold, watch for ice out there. if you have trouble hearing, let's say you have a ringing in your ear, you probably have other health trouble as well. researchers took a look at men who worked at noisy jobs or have history of ear surgery. they found those patients with hearing problems facing greater risk of heart disease. and women who have been diagnosed with skin cancer have more health-related quality of life issues than men. a dutch study says the disease negatively affects women more because it affects their social traveling and time with family. the cost of a stamp will go up again for some letters. the base rate of a 44-cent first-class stamp that covers the letter's first ounce is not changing, however heavier letters will cost more, 20 cents

per additional ounce up from 17 cents. the new rates go into effect april 17th. some colleges are offering alternatives to students who curb bing drink. that appears to be working. schools at north dakota state university and the university of pittsburgh are organizing alcohol-free events to give students another choice. the schools report drops in binge drinking incidents. across the nation, one-third of college students bing drink meaning five or more drinks in a row. coming up, was it near misunderstanding? we'll have the latest on mark zuckerberg's legal wrangling with his alleged stalker. and the push to make your drinking water safer. what california lawmakers plan to do today. brent and laura will be right back.

new this morning, amazing video of the aftermath of a massive quake in new zealand. buildings have collapsed, people are trapped. we'll have more images out of the island nation coming up. and a local police department changes its definition of racial profiling. we'll tell you about the changes coming up. and a live look outside this morning at the bay bridge from a distance. a very cold start to your tuesday morning, february 22nd, "today in the bay."